A Thousand Cranes
by big dreamer girl
Summary: Based on Sadako's Story. Hiyono is hospitalized due to a dangerous disease and is making cranes, hoping that the legend surrounding the cranes are true. Ayumu gave her the paper and visits her. After a fight, will she choose to live? Slight Ayumu x Hiyono


A Thousand Cranes

_It is said that if you fold a thousand cranes, your wish will be granted.

* * *

_

Hiyono leaned over the sink, her eyes wide with horror as she stared at the bright red stain in the marble sink. She coughed again and brought her hand up to her mouth. When she was done, she took her hand away and saw more blood had gotten on it. Her body started to tremble and the fear that she had kept at bay came up with a sudden force. Tears welled in her eyes but she forced herself to concentrate. No, she couldn't break down at a time like this. She stumbled away from the sink and began to cough violently. Blood splattered onto the floor but Hiyono didn't care. Her breathing was labored and Hiyono knew she needed to call somebody for help. She got past the bathroom door and was in the hall when another sudden attack of the coughing forced her to stop.

She finally made it to her phone after that coughing fit. Her head was hurting, she was dizzy, and she could barely breathe. She looked back and saw that she had left a trail of blood. The sight of it nearly made her throw up. Hiyono forced herself to turn away and dial for the police.

* * *

Hiyono lay back on the clean white bed as the nurse shut her door. She was tired but at least her breathing was a little better.

_It's been three days since I've been in this hospital. Mou, I'm so bored! I wonder when Narumi-san is coming by. He better come by! I want to eat his bento again!_

She glanced over at her cell phone, noting that it had been turned off. One of the rules in the hospital was that patients couldn't have their phones on. Hiyono sighed and slumped back on her pillow. She wouldn't be able to call her friend.

_Knock. Knock._

Hiyono started at the sound of someone pounding on her door. "Come in!"

The door opened.

"Narumi-san!" Hiyono exclaimed, surprised that he had actually come just when she had wanted him to.

Her friend's dark brown eyes were on her as he approached. "Are you alright?"

"Hai!" Hiyono smiled cheerfully up at him. He wasn't fooled for a second.

"Why are you in the hospital?"

"Ah. I have hemoptysis."

He nodded. "How long have you had it?"

"Three days!" Hiyono chirped.

_She sounds like she's proud of that,_ Ayumu thought.

"Ne, ne, Narumi-san, do you have your bento?"

Ayumu snapped out of his thoughts only to find that Hiyono was going through his backpack.

"Oi, that's my stuff!"

Hiyono sighed and put his backpack aside. "Mou, I'm bored. Narumi-san, how did you know I was in the hospital?"

He shrugged but didn't offer an explanation. Hiyono didn't press him.

A knock sounded at the door again and they both turned.

"Come in!" Hiyono called again and this time, a young girl entered.

"Konnichiwa," Mitsuki greeted Hiyono.

"Konnichiwa," Hiyono replied.

"Yuizaki-san, did you hear? The girl who had been folding cranes got out of the hospital today!"

"Really?! That's great!" Hiyono exclaimed.

"Now everybody's trying out the legend," Mitsuki continued.

"Eh? What legend?"

Mitsuki came to stand next to Hiyono's bed. "If you fold a thousand cranes, then your wish will be granted."

"Oh, it's just like Sadako, right?" Hiyono asked.

"Hai!" Mitsuki nodded her head.

"Mitsuki!" a nurse standing at the doorway said. "It's time for chemotherapy!"

"I have to go now," Mitsuki walked towards the door.

"Good luck!" Hiyono called out. She waved in response.

"Are you going to try the legend?" Ayumu asked once the door closed behind the girl.

"Hai! Demo, I have to get the paper first. And I'm not allowed out of this hospital."

Ayumu stood up from the stool that he had been sitting on. "I'll get it."

"Really?! Arigato, Narumi-san!" Hiyono smiled up at him.

He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Okay."

He walked towards the door. "See you tomorrow." And then he was gone.

_That's the first time he said that,_ Hiyono thought. She smiled and laid back down on her pillow. In a few seconds, she was asleep.

* * *

The next day, Hiyono was waiting eagerly for Ayumu's return. She rushed through lunch and her treatment for her disease seemed like it would never end. She sat on her bed, exhausted and yet exuberant for the upcoming meeting.

_Knock. Knock._

"Come in!" Hiyono called out eagerly.

Ayumu walked in.

_Without_ a package of paper.

"Mou, Narumi-san!" Hiyono wailed. "You forgot the paper. Here I am, stuck in bed with a disease that could kill me, and you forget something as simple as getting me paper! If I could get out of this bed, I would use my Hiyono Punch on you!"

Ayumu smiled and reached into his backpack. "Here," he said, extracting a small rectangular box from his pack. Hiyono could see that there were sheets of bright paper inside the small pink box.

"Arigato!" Hiyono said happily as she took the box. The box was a long as the length of her forefinger and the width was the length of her thumb. The box was outlined with flowers and there was a small heart cut out so she could see the paper inside on one side. On the other side of the box, another heart was cut out.

"Kawaii!" Hiyono fell in love with it. She opened the box and saw a row of small five-by-five centimeter sheets of square paper in all colors of the rainbow. There were plain color paper and glossed paper. She took one out and stared at it.

"Ano… do you know how to make a crane?" she looked up at Ayumu.

Ayumu smirked and pulled out sheets of paper. "I thought that you might not know how to make it so I printed out instructions."

"Yay!" Hiyono cheered and grabbed the sheets. She looked at them and then began to fold her paper.

"Somehow, you still have energy even after you have your treatments," Ayumu commented as he sat down on the stool in her room.

"I was really excited to get the paper so I could fold cranes," Hiyono replied. "I wanted to be able to fold them as soon as possible so I can get out of the hospital."

"You know," Ayumu said, a serious look on his face, "the legend might not be true."

"I know," Hiyono replied, her eyes staring at the half-completed crane. "Demo, at least I have some hope to hold on to until I die, _if_ I die."

Ayumu nodded. It made sense. The Blade Children were holding on to the hope that he could save them, even if it was false hope and they were doomed.

"Do you need help?" he asked, if only so he would have something to do.

"Iie. I want to do this by myself. The girl who had made the cranes had done it by herself."

Ayumu fell silent and watched as Hiyono struggled through the instructions of making the crane. She was pale, even though she acted like she had energy. Her eyes had taken a small dullness to them and her breathing was a little uneven.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Of course," Hiyono replied but Ayumu couldn't shake off the suspicion that she was trying to hide her pain.

Suddenly Hiyono began to cough. She brought her hand to her mouth and stared at Ayumu, her eyes wide.

Ayumu was confused, but that feeling quickly disappeared when he noticed the bright red fluid flowing through her fingers.

"Hiyono!" He grabbed her hand and pulled it away. He watched with horror as blood came out of her mouth.

_What do I do?!_ Ayumu thought frantically as Hiyono continued to cough.

Her body was trembling with the force of the coughs and she was crying. Ayumu bit his lower lip in frustration and noticed the cord that hung above Hiyono's bed. When pulled, it would summon the nurses. He grabbed it and pulled. Instantly nurses rushed into the room. They took one look at Hiyono and called for the doctor. A nurse ushered Ayumu out of the room despite his protests and Ayumu found himself pacing nervously in the hallway.

_Dang it, why can't I do anything for her? _Ayumu thought, remembering Hiyono's frightened expression as she began to cough.

What seemed like an eternity later, the doctor exited Hiyono's room and Ayumu intercepted him.

"Excuse me, how badly is my friend's condition?" Ayumu asked, afraid of what the answer could be.

The doctor looked at him. "She's stabilized for now, but we're going to keep on monitoring her for a few days. She won't be allowed visitors for a week. I'm sorry."

Ayumu felt himself grow cold. _What if she dies during that time?! She'll need somebody there for her!_

He turned around and walked off.

* * *

Hiyono woke up, her lungs hurting and crying out for air. She took deep breaths, but each time she did, it hurt her chest even more. She struggled to sit up and finally did. Her eyes were blurry and she felt hot. She threw off her blankets and immediately pulled them back. It was too cold not to have it over her. She sighed wearily and turned to the cranes she had made. Her first one was wrinkled from the many times she had had to start over and it was splattered with blood. Hiyono shivered and diverted her attention to the other cranes. So far in the last three days since she had coughed in front of Ayumu, she had made dozens of cranes, each time hoping that she would get better.

Hiyono reached out to grab another sheet of bright blue square paper and began to fold it. She had made so many that her hands automatically folded it correctly even when she wasn't looking.

Hiyono completed the crane and placed it next to the other colorful cranes she had made. She threw herself down onto her pillow with a groan. She was so bored! Why did she have to end up having her disease worsen? Now, Ayumu couldn't visit until the remaining four days that she wasn't allowed visitors were through.

Hiyono sat up and took another sheet of paper. She was grateful to Ayumu for getting her the paper, and she would not show that she was ungrateful by not making the cranes.

* * *

Ayumu trudged down the hallway to Hiyono's room. He was anxious to see how the bubbly teenager was, especially after what he had seen last week. He peeked through the open door to her room to see that she was still on her bed, her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic motion that showed that the patient was asleep. He sighed and stepped into the room. Of course, he couldn't blame her. She was probably tired from having to fight for her life. On the table next to Hiyono's bed, he could see that she had around three hundred cranes since the time he had watched her make the first one.

_She's been busy,_ he thought as he caught sight of the bloody crane that had been the first one she had made.

_I wonder if she's better yet._

"Narumi-san?" Hiyono's voice caused him to turn around in surprise. She was sitting up but her face was even paler with the effort than when she had been asleep.

"Lay down," Ayumu hurried to her side and tried to get her to listen to him.

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she said but they both knew it was a lie.

"How long?" Ayumu asked. Hiyono didn't have to ask to know what he meant.

"The doctor says only a month," Hiyono tried to smile as she said it.

Ayumu nodded. There was really nothing he could do for his friend. Unless a miracle happened and she made a sudden recovery, there was no chance of her surviving. The amount of blood she had lost during the fit she had had in front of him was too much for donated blood to replenish. There just wasn't enough blood for her.

"How many cranes did you make?" he asked, desperate for a change of subject.

Her eyes lighted up. "I made three hundred twenty-eight so far!"

"How did you make so many in just a week?"

"I really want to get better as soon as I can. After all, I only have a month left."

Ayumu winced at the phrasing. "You really do work fast, though."

"Thanks," Hiyono replied as she made yet another crane. "But part of it was because I was bored."

Ayumu accepted the explanation. "How long are you going to be in this hospital?"

"Either until I'm cured or I die," Hiyono said bluntly.

Just then, a nurse entered with Hiyono's dinner and placed it on a table separate from the one that had the cranes.

She spoke to Hiyono and Ayumu as she helped Hiyono to sit close to the table so she could eat. Then the nurse left.

Ayumu looked at the plate of food. "You call that food?"

Hiyono shrugged. "At least it's edible."

"You sure?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Hiyono placed a piece of rice in her mouth and made a face. "Although, that doesn't mean that it tastes good."

"Ah. I should get going," Ayumu said after looking at the clock in Hiyono's room.

He stood up.

"Okay," Hiyono replied through a mouthful of rice. "See you tomorrow!"

"See you."

* * *

Ayumu reached the apartment where he lived with his sister-in-law, Madoka. He quickly made dinner and then retreated to his room. The light in his room was still on when Madoka entered the apartment four hours later. She noticed the light coming through the crack through his door.

_I wonder what he's doing. He hasn't been coming out except to go to school or visit the braided girl._

Oh, well. As long as he made dinner, she was fine with whatever he did in the privacy of his bedroom. She wasn't one to try to pry into his life.

* * *

Hiyono sat up on the hospital bed, her eyes slowly adjusting to the moonlight shining through her large window. She pulled her legs up to her chest and propped her elbows on her knees. She stared contemplatively out the window.

_I wonder how long I'll be able to live. How many more cranes can I make before I either die or am cured? I'm so scared. I should've been scared when I was about to be blown up after grabbing that bomb at Rutherford's concert. Or when Asazuki was about to push me out the window when Narumi-san and I were visiting Rio-san. But no, I'm scared __**now**__! Meh, I wish Narumi-san was here right now. At least then I wouldn't be so afraid of the future. He always found a way to save me, no matter what. But this time, he might not be able to. This sickness isn't something logic and strategy can solve. Not even the doctors can absolutely give me a cure. Still, I wish Narumi-san was here._

Hiyono began to cough again. Luckily, this time it wasn't so bad and she didn't give up any blood. After her coughing fit was over, she reached for a piece of paper and began to fold it up. If she couldn't sleep, she should at least make more cranes, right?

* * *

Rio, Ryoko, and a reluctant Kousuke were following behind an annoyed Ayumu as he walked towards Hiyono's room.

"Why the heck do we have to visit jou-chan?" Kousuke complained.

"She visited me when I was in the hospital," Rio said. In her arms was a bouquet of purple irises.

"And if you don't shut up, I'll kick you," Ryoko threatened.

Ayumu mentally groaned as Kousuke argued back. _Why the heck do they have to come? It's not like they actually care for her._

They stopped in front of Hiyono's door and Ayumu knocked. Nobody answered. Ayumu tried again and still the same result.

"Do you think she's there?" Rio asked.

Ayumu shrugged and turned around. He walked back to the information desk. "Excuse me," he said to the nurse behind the desk, "where is Yuizaki Hiyono?"

"Yuizaki Hiyono-san?" the nurse asked. "Just wait."

She flipped through a folder and found the information. "She's receiving blood right now."

"I see. Thank you."

"She should be done in about fifteen minutes if you want to see her then."

Ayumu nodded and turned back to the Blade Children. "Looks like we have to wait."

"So what do we do now?" Ryoko asked.

Ayumu shrugged. "Go get something to eat, I suppose. Although I'm not sure if the cafeteria food is any better than the food they give to patients."

"How bad can it be?" Kousuke said as he followed Ayumu and the others towards the cafeteria.

* * *

"That bad," Ayumu said as they stared at a plate full of lumpy unidentifiable stuff that looked slightly like mashed potatoes.

"I think I just lost my appetite," Rio groaned.

"I'm definitely not eating that stuff," Ryoko agreed.

"Let's go," Ayumu suggested. "There's a café around the corner."

The others agreed. They left the hospital and went to the café Ayumu had spotted.

* * *

Hiyono leaned back on her pillow. She had tried to find something to watch on TV but there was nothing interesting. She was tired, her chest hurt, and she was bored. What was the point of being here if she couldn't do anything? She sighed and once again began to make cranes.

A knock sounded at her door and she gave permission for whoever it was to come in. Ayumu entered with the Blade Children that she knew.

"Konnichiwa!" Hiyono said happily.

"Konnichiwa, Hiyono-san," Rio placed the bouquet of irises next to the cranes that Hiyono had made.

"Oh, arigato, Rio-san."

"Oi, jou-chan, when are you getting out of the hospital?" Kousuke asked.

"Either when I'm cured or I die," Hiyono replied with a smile.

_Why the heck is she smiling about that?! _Rio, Ryoko, and Kousuke wondered.

"How many cranes have you made now?" Ayumu asked.

"About five hundred. Only five hundred cranes to go."

"Have you been doing your homework at all?" Ryoko asked.

"Uh-oh…" Hiyono said. "I totally forgot about my homework! Narumi-san, why didn't you get it?!"

"Wha—? Why me?"

"Fine then, Asazuki will get it since we're in the same grade."

"Why me?!"

"Because if you don't, you'll have Takamachi-san abusing you," Ayumu commented, having noticed Ryoko starting to ball her hands into fists so she could hit Kousuke.

All three girls grinned. It was so much fun getting the guys to do what they wanted.

They watched Hiyono make cranes for a while before the Blade Children left. Ayumu stayed and watched Hiyono folding the cranes.

"Narumi-san?"

"Hmm?"

"When are you ever going to play the piano?"

"Why would you ask me that?" Ayumu asked curiously.

Hiyono shrugged. "I just want to hear you play one more time in case I die."

"How can you talk about dying so easily?!" Ayumu shouted. "Most people would be scared but you act as if you _want_ to die!"

"No—," Hiyono began but Ayumu cut her off.

"I don't see how you can smile and just act happy. If you don't care whether you die or not, then why not just give up and go to heaven right now?"

Hiyono stared at him in shock. Ayumu's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. He turned around and stalked out the door, leaving Hiyono to stare at the door he had left open.

* * *

_Why did I blow up like that?! She probably hates me now. She's stuck in the hospital, she might have less than a month to live, she's fighting for every breath, and yet I just go and yell at her. What do I do now?_

Ayumu walked out the entrance of the hospital. A wet drop fell on him, followed by another and then another. It was beginning to rain and he hadn't even brought his umbrella.

He was soaked by the time he reached his apartment. He didn't bother to dry off. He went to his room and even though his hands were wet, he grabbed a sheet of paper.

* * *

Hiyono sat on her bed, staring down at her hands. _Why did Narumi-san say that? It's not as if I'm not scared. I am. I just… don't show it, that's all. I do care whether I live or die. Why else would I be trying to make a thousand cranes?

* * *

_

The next day Hiyono was running a high fever. She was coughing every five minutes and losing the blood that she had received. She couldn't eat and the medicine she took wasn't help. She continued to fold the cranes and waiting for Ayumu to show up.

The time that he always visited her came and she waited eagerly for him to knock on her door as always.

Five minutes passed. Then ten minutes. Thirty minutes later she was telling herself that he had probably been napping in class and had gotten detention. Two hours later she couldn't hold on to that excuse. Maybe he was stuck in traffic while getting to the hospital.

Night time fell and Hiyono finally accepted the truth. He wasn't going to visit her.

_Narumi-san always visited me. Why won't he visit me now? But… he did always say "see you tomorrow" but yesterday, he didn't. But I want to see him again. Please, Narumi-san, let me see you, even if I die tomorrow, I want to see you so badly!_

Hiyono began to cough and blood spilled onto the bed sheets. She didn't care. Ayumu hadn't come by. She was alone. Nobody cared if she died, so why should she? Why not just take Narumi-san's advice? She didn't bother trying to call for the nurse. It was getting hard to breathe and Hiyono felt tears of fear rolling down her cheeks. No, she wouldn't try to prolong her life. _If Narumi-san wants me to go, then I'll go.

* * *

_

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Ayumu groaned as he heard the phone ring. He pulled the blanket over his head and sighed. Madoka would have to get it. He was too tired. He had spent half the night awake feeling guilty for not visiting Hiyono. He really wasn't in the mood to get up at all.

The phone stopped ringing and he heard Madoka talking.

"Ayumu-kun!"

Ayumu sighed and threw the blanket off. Obviously, he wouldn't be allowed to sleep in. The living room was dimly lit by the rising sun and he had to pause to let his eyes adjust to the light. He saw Madoka standing next to the phone.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's the braided girl. She's… in surgery right now. It looks like she coughed up a lot of blood but didn't try to call for the nurse."

_No… she couldn't have. She wouldn't actually think I meant what I said._

Ayumu rushed into his room and quickly got ready. In ten minutes, he was out the door, shouting to Madoka that she would have to make her own breakfast.

It was a clear day, "as if the rain cleaned the air" as Hiyono had once told him. He didn't care, though. The only thing that mattered was getting to the hospital.

He was out of breath from running by the time he ran through the entrance to the hospital. He ran down the hall and to the reception desk.

"Where's Yuizaki Hiyono?" he gasped, his lungs burning from the need of air.

"She's in surgery right now. Why don't you sit down for now?" the lady behind the desk suggested.

"Is… is she alright?" Ayumu asked, afraid of what the answer could be.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to ask her doctor."

Ayumu nodded and sat down at a chair. He couldn't concentrate on getting rid of thoughts of what might happen to Hiyono. He buried his head in his hands, trying to block out imaginary images of Hiyono's funeral.

"Narumi-san?"

His head snapped up before he realized that the voice that had called his name wasn't Hiyono's bubbly voice.

"H-hai?"

A doctor was standing in front of him. "Yuizaki-san's surgery is done but she may not live, even with the surgery. She only has a fifty percent chance of surviving."

"Then… why did you do the surgery if it's not going to help her?!" Ayumu asked.

"Without it, she would have only had a five percent chance of living. You have to understand, the disease was spreading to her lungs. If it gets to her lungs, she won't be able to breathe and she'll die."

"Isn't there anything that can be done for her?"

"Nothing. Whether she wakes up or not is up to her."

The doctor left and Ayumu sat down heavily in his chair.

_She'll only wake up if she wants to but she won't want to after what I said. I'm the one who's to blame if she doesn't wake up. _

Ayumu got up. He didn't feel like just sitting in one spot. Automatically, he turned to head down the hall to Hiyono's room. Inside, her bed was empty since she was still recovering in the recovery room. The bed was freshly made and the curtains were pulled apart. The light of the rising sun streamed into the room and the glossy paper of the cranes made from the paper he had bought reflected the light. Ayumu walked over to the many cranes that his best friend had made.

"_I wanted to be able to fold them as soon as possible so I can get out of the hospital."_

"_Mou, Narumi-san! You forgot the paper. Here I am, stuck in bed with a disease that could kill me, and you forget something as simple as getting me paper! If I could get out of this bed, I would use my Hiyono Punch on you!"_

_Hiyono,_ Ayumu closed his eyes and sighed. _She really did want to live. I was stupid to have said all that to her._

"_I really want to get better as soon as I can. After all, I only have a month left."_

"_At least I have some hope to hold on to until I die, __**if**__ I die."_

_I'm so sorry for what I said.

* * *

_

Hiyono groaned as she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and she blinked to clear it. Once her vision was the sharp precision of the perfect vision, she looked around. She wasn't in her regular room. Her cranes weren't right beside her. She turned her head and saw other patients asleep on the beds to her right. A door opened to her left and Hiyono shifted her vision to see a nurse enter the room.

"Good morning," the nurse whispered. "Do you feel better?"

Oddly, now that Hiyono thought about it, her chest didn't hurt as much as it used to. Her breathing was lighter than it had ever been, and she hadn't woken up coughing.

"Yes, much better," she replied.

The nurse was relieved. "You had surgery. It looks like it was successful."

"Why didn't I get surgery before?" Hiyono asked.

"There were too many risks that outweighed the pros of the surgery and you weren't in such a critical condition. But from now on you _must_ call for a nurse when you need one. Do you understand?"

"Hai."

"Good," the nurse nodded. "Also, your friend has been visiting you everyday since you had your surgery."

"Narumi-san?"

"Yes, him."

"How long has it been since I had my surgery?"

"About a week. Now, try to get some sleep."

The nurse left and Hiyono laid back on her pillow. _Narumi-san's been visiting me. I'm glad.

* * *

_

Hiyono had asked for her cranes to be delivered to the recovery room and she had continued to fold cranes. During the time she was stuck there, Ayumu had tried to visit her but was not allowed in the room. He had to settle for just news of her health from the nursed. They, in turn, kept her informed that he had inquired about her, which was every day.

Hiyono grabbed the last sheet of paper she had left. It had been two weeks since she had woken up in the recovery room and now she was on her last crane.

_The last crane._ It seemed so strange. After days of folding them, of hoping that her wish of being healthy would come true, after days of talking with Ayumu, after the fight they had had, she was now folding the last crane.

_I wish to get better so I can see Narumi-san again._ Hiyono folded the paper diagonally. With each fold, she wished for the same thing over and over. Finally she tugged the two wings of the crane and sighed. _I'm done. I'm actually done!_ A bright smile came over her face and Hiyono nearly shouted with glee. The only thing that made her contain her joy was the fact that other patients were asleep and needed their rest.

* * *

Hiyono was allowed back in her regular room the day after she had finished the last crane. She was elated to be back in familiar surroundings and smiled.

Her thousand cranes were sitting on the same table that she had always kept them.

_Knock. Knock._

Hiyono froze in the act of rearranging the cranes in color. _Is it Narumi-san?_

"Come in," she called out and the door opened.

Ayumu walked in, holding a bag.

"Konnichiwa!" Hiyono greeted him, surprised at his nervous expression. After her greeting, he seemed to relax.

"Hey," he replied.

"The nurses told me you kept visiting me. Thank you for coming to see me even when I was in the recovery room," Hiyono smiled up at him.

He just nodded. "Hiyono—"

"Hai?" Hiyono said when he didn't continue.

"G-gomen for what I said," Ayumu said. _There, I said it. If she doesn't believe me, then I'll accept it. It was my fault for saying all that, after all._

"Do you have any sweets for me?"

_Huh?_ Ayumu stared at the blond girl as she looked at the bag. _Even after all I said and after the fact that she nearly **died**, she's asking if I have __**sweets**?_

"Actually, it's some food I cooked this morning," he held out the bag to her.

"Yay! Narumi-san made a meal especially for me," Hiyono cheered.

"Who said I made it for you?" he mocked. "I accidentally made an extra bento."

"Narumi-san is so mean!" Hiyono cried. "Hiyono Punch!"

Suddenly Ayumu found himself being buffeted with a small hand puppet. _Just like old times.

* * *

_

A few days later, Hiyono had made a complete recovery and her disease was gone. She was released from the hospital.

* * *

Ayumu returned home after helping Hiyono carry all her cranes to her house and had helped her to arrange them on a table in her room. He went directly to his own room and turned on the lights. Glossy cranes shined back at him and he smiled.

_They granted my wish. Hiyono's finally out of the hospital and is alive.

* * *

_

I can't believe I'm typing all this during my Thanksgiving break when I should be doing homework. Oh, well, I'll just regret losing the time later when I have to spend the Monday and Tuesday working to catch up in two classes. Hopefully this is good. Please read and review!


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